KCN: Knowledge Centric Networking

The recent advent of killer applications such as content distribution, cloud computing and Internet of things (IoT), all require for the underlying network to be able to understand specific service contexts. In this project we propose the Knowledge Centric Networking (KCN) paradigm, in which knowledge is positioned at the centre of the networking landscape. The objective is to enable in-network knowledge generation and distribution in order to develop necessary network control intelligence for handling complexity and uncertainty. In order to achieve this, specific algorithms and mechanisms/protocols will be developed for knowledge acquisition, processing, dissemination and organisation both within single and across homogeneous/heterogeneous administrative domains in the Internet.

The project will investigate three styles of knowledge exchange based on Software Defined Networking (SDN) principles: Knowledge as a Tool (KaaT), Knowledge as a Service (KaaS) and Knowledge as a Cloud (KaaC). KaaT will enable intelligent network operations in dynamic network environments driven by knowledge gathered at different vantage points. We advocate a hierarchical knowledge framework in which knowledge and control functions are distributed at the right places within the network for fulfilling specific control tasks. In addition, we will invetigate knowledge sharing between different players in the Internet marketplace. This can be achieved either through explicit knowledge transfer from a knowledge provider to a knowledge consumer (KaaS), or based on open knowledge clouds where knowledge prosumers may publish or subscribe to information through an open but controlled knowledge ecosystem (KaaS).

The proposed KCN architecture will be validated through two complementary use cases. KCN-driven content traffic offloading between heterogeneous radio access technologies for the future mobile Internet aims to achieve adaptive resource control by taking into account a wide variety of knowledge associated with content, users and network conditions. In addition, KCN-driven energy management targets cross-layer energy saving techniques at both the IP and the physical optical layer according to the derived knowledge and dynamically changing context information.

The project provides direct contributions to the TI3 sub-challenges 1, 2, 3 and 4. First of all, the KCN-based knowledge ecosystem will equip the next generation Internet with necessary intelligence for handling complex requirements under dynamic conditions. Such an ecosystem, seamlessly coupled with the SDN architecture, will be able to gracefully support the ever increasing complexity and heterogeneity of future networked services and multitude of users. The two complementary use cases demonstrate how the proposed KCN framework will be instantiated in two different application domains, content traffic offloading in mobile/wireless access networks and energy efficiency in IP/optical transport networks. Use case 1 contributes to the 3rd sub-challenge, with knowledge-based content caching and traffic offloading techniques for the future content-oriented mobile Internet. Use case 2, on the other hand, contributes to the 2nd sub-challenge with intelligent energy saving mechanisms at both the IP and optical layer. Finally, with in-network knowledge inference and learning based on raw context information, the project also addresses the 4th sub-challenge of extracting understanding from data. In summary, context information captured during network/service operation will be used to derive systematic in-network knowledge and intelligence in order to deal adaptively with both complexity and uncertainty and enable near-optimal network operation.

The KCN project is highly timely, targeting both short to medium-term (5-10 years) and long-term (10-20 years) impact. It aims to push knowledge and intelligence into the network infrastructure, enabling real-time in-network decision-making and paving the way to "intelligent" future networks which will support new applications and services and open up new business opportunities. Knowledge as a Tool (KaaT) will accelerate the development of intelligent support for the future fixed and mobile Internet, the latter ranked first in terms of economic potential according to the Government's Information Economy Strategy, June 2013. In addition, Knowledge as a Service (KaaS) and as a Cloud (KaaC) will provide an open environment to different players in the Internet marketplace for exchanging knowledge, resulting in globally optimal network performance which will enable new applications and in new business opportunities. For example, contextual data could be used for large-scale user and content profiling activities while network/service operational data could be used to enable "service nesting" by infrastructure-less service providers.

Overall, the KCN project is expected to have the following impact in different sectors/areas:

* Major ICT stakeholders: All major communication stakeholders will benefit from the KCN results. Infrastructure providers (e.g. ISPs) will be able to deploy network platforms with intelligent control functions through KaaT, reducing substantially the complexity and cost of network operations and management. Knowledge exchange through KaaS/KaaC will enable contextual information and knowledge to be disseminated to infrastructure-less service providers (SPs), enabling them deploy and provision their own services. The beneficiaries in this case will not only include large SPs (e.g. Skype) but also small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which would like to deploy their own networked applications and services with minimum CAPEX/OPEX. Last but not least, end users will also benefit in terms of services with enhanced quality of experience and reduced cost thanks to more efficient network resource control by ISPs (KaaT) and to "harmonised" interworking between ISPs and SPs (KaaS/KaaC). In fact, world-class content services with affordable cost and consumer safety are key targets in "Britain's digital platform for growth", July 2013.

* The UK society: First of all, the KCN project will directly address energy efficiency in the ICT sector, which will contribute to the reduction of power consumption and CO2 footprint in the telecom industry. In addition, KaaS/KaaC will stimulate the generation of future business opportunities in the Internet marketplace, no least for SMEs to create revenues either through the deployment of own networked applications or through retailing user/content profiles (e.g. user preferences/interests, content popularity etc.). The resulting business opportunities will contribute to job creation and economic prosperity. Finally, interactive real-time applications in the fixed and in mobile worlds will not be a taboo discussion among Internet researchers and engineers but will become a reality.

* The academic and research community: Future Internet architecture has been a key topic in the networking research community in recent years. A key observation from relevant research activities is that the border between core networking and network management/control functionality tends to become increasingly blurred. We believe that KCN can play a key role towards the realisation of future network architectures with intrinsic knowledge and intelligence support. We expect that our approach will stimulate fundamental rethinking on how knowledge and control functions should be placed and used across different network entities. Furthermore, the resulting changed philosophy of network design will stimulate new related fields of research.